The Fundamentals Of Effective Admission Essay Writing

Every high school student feels some degree of overwhelm and anxiety when it comes to writing their admission essay. Some colleges have much more stringent application guidelines for the essay than others do. Some prompts are bizarre and utterly difficult to write about. If you’re lucky, you may receive a somewhat mundane question, and can use personal experience to pep it up a little and make it more exciting.

You may find tips and guidelines online for completing your admission essay. But how do you know how to sort through them all and only follow trustworthy advice? The following list will give you the fundamentals.

1. Honesty is rule #1. Don’t jeopardize your admission or your academic career by making up stories that aren’t true or embellishing your accomplishments or achievements. Trying to inflate yourself isn’t usually very successful.

2. Be clear and concise. If you have a suggested minimum, make sure you meet the standard. But don’t go over it by an unreasonable amount. Remember the committee has many, many to read. If yours is over 700 words, you are straining somebody’s patience.

3. Be yourself. Highlight the individual that you are. Distinguish yourself from everyone else. What’s unique about you? It may come in the form of a life experience, or just in the way you think.

4. Be accurate. This goes much farther than just cleaning up spelling errors. Use accurate words and descriptions, accurate dates and locations.

5. Be coherent. In other words, don’t babble or be repetitious in your writing. Don’t choose so many points or factors that your essay becomes redundant or run-on. Highlight one or two choice things.

6. Write vividly. Use comparisons and contrasts. Use words that bring your writing to life. Let your reader immerse themselves in your story and not want to get out until they’ve finished reading every single word.

7. Be controversial if you find it’s appropriate. Don’t just agree with everything. Give your views about sensitive subjects and why your opinion is the way it is. Don’t pretend you know it all and everything is right or wrong depending on your judgment and yours alone. Show you have a wide understanding as well as acceptance of other peoples’ opinions.

8. Be smart. After all, you are applying to a college. Why do these subjects interest you? How did the events make you smarter? What did you learn from your experiences to become a better person?